Geico May Pay $5.2 Million To Woman Who Got HPV During Car Sex

Car insurance company Geico may have to pay $5.2 million to a Missouri woman that claimed she unknowingly contracted a sexually transmitted infection from having sex in the car of her ex-partner, who was insured by the company.

On Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the multimillion-dollar payout of the woman who said she caught the human papillomavirus (HPV) after having unprotected sex with her former male partner in his luxury sedan.

The Missouri Court of Appeals agreed with the ruling from the lower court and stated Geico did not have strong grounds to appeal the $5.2 million judgment.

“At the time of Geico’s intervention, liability and damages had been determined by an arbitrator and confirmed by the trial court,” Court of Appeals Judge Edward R. Ardini Jr. noted in the opinion. “Geico had no right to re-litigate those issues.”

Prior to the latest ruling in the case, the payout was in arbitration as Geico argued an error was made by the Jackson County Circuit Court.

The court ruled that the man was liable for not informing his then partner about his infection and determined that having sex in the car “directly caused, or directly contributed to cause” the woman to contract HPV.

The woman claimed her former partner was diagnosed with HPV but did not use methods to prevent transmission or disclose his condition.

Around a year into the relationship, the woman learned she had HPV after receiving a gynecological examination.

In February 2021, she informed Geico she planned to seek monetary damages for “negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.”

Geico attempted to have the case thrown out by arguing that the HPV “arose from an intervening cause — namely, her failure to prevent transmission of STDs by having unprotected sex.”

The company also noted the man’s insurance policy only covered injuries that came “out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the … auto.”

By May 2021, an arbitrator determined Geico should pay the woman $5.2 million in damages.

The company had claimed the decision violated its rights to due process and filed an appeal.

Although the decision for the multimillion-dollar payout has been upheld, Geico is reportedly contesting the judgment in federal court.